Harborview Medical Center
Encyclopedia
Harborview Medical Center, located on Seattle's First Hill, is a public hospital in King County, Washington
and is managed by UW Medicine.
, Montana
and Idaho
. Its burn center is one of the largest in the United States
, specializing in pioneering treatments, including the use of artificial skin
products, which have cut mortality rates dramatically for severely burned patients.
Harborview's Center for Sexual Assault provides medical and counseling services to sexual assault
victims and their families. Thousands of patients are treated each year in Harborview's Neurosurgery
Department for disorders of the brain
, spinal cord
, and peripheral nerves, including head and spinal cord injuries, stroke
, brain tumors, degenerative disc disease
, and spinal disc herniation
s. Its orthopedics service has often been listed as one of the top 10 services of its kind in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
Harborview’s operating budget for fiscal year 2007 was $568 million and income from operations was $585 million.
Harborview was instrumental in establishing Medic One
, one of the country's first paramedic response programs. Many of Washington State's emergency medical service technicians are trained at Harborview. Harborview is also the principal clinical site for the University of Washington
's center for AIDS
research. The Madison Clinic, Harborview's outpatient facility, is the largest single provider of AIDS
care in King County.
in a two-story south Seattle building. By 1906, it had moved into a new building in Georgetown
, with room for 225 patients. Another move occurred in 1931, when the center wing of the present hospital on First Hill was completed, and the hospital's name was changed to Harborview.
Harborview's Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress
was established in 1973.
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
and is managed by UW Medicine.
Overview
Harborview Medical Center is the designated Disaster Control Hospital for Seattle and King County, as it has the only Level I adult and pediatric trauma and burn center serving the states of Washington, AlaskaAlaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
and Idaho
Idaho
Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....
. Its burn center is one of the largest in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, specializing in pioneering treatments, including the use of artificial skin
Artificial skin
Artificial skin can refer to skin grown in a laboratory that can be used as skin replacement for people who have suffered skin trauma such as severe burns or skin diseases.Alternatively, it can also refer to skin synthetically produced for other purposes....
products, which have cut mortality rates dramatically for severely burned patients.
Harborview's Center for Sexual Assault provides medical and counseling services to sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
victims and their families. Thousands of patients are treated each year in Harborview's Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery
Neurosurgery is the medical specialty concerned with the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of disorders which affect any portion of the nervous system including the brain, spine, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, and extra-cranial cerebrovascular system.-In the United States:In...
Department for disorders of the brain
Brain
The brain is the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals—only a few primitive invertebrates such as sponges, jellyfish, sea squirts and starfishes do not have one. It is located in the head, usually close to primary sensory apparatus such as vision, hearing,...
, spinal cord
Spinal cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, tubular bundle of nervous tissue and support cells that extends from the brain . The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system...
, and peripheral nerves, including head and spinal cord injuries, stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
, brain tumors, degenerative disc disease
Degenerative disc disease
Degeneration of the intervertebral disc, often called "degenerative disc disease" of the spine, is a condition that can be painful and can greatly affect the quality of one's life...
, and spinal disc herniation
Spinal disc herniation
A spinal disc herniation , informally and misleadingly called a "slipped disc", is a medical condition affecting the spine due to trauma, lifting injuries, or idiopathic, in which a tear in the outer, fibrous ring of an intervertebral disc allows the soft, central portion A spinal disc herniation...
s. Its orthopedics service has often been listed as one of the top 10 services of its kind in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
Harborview’s operating budget for fiscal year 2007 was $568 million and income from operations was $585 million.
Harborview was instrumental in establishing Medic One
Medic One
The Seattle & King County Emergency Medical Services System is a fire-based two-tier response system providing prehospital basic and advanced life support services....
, one of the country's first paramedic response programs. Many of Washington State's emergency medical service technicians are trained at Harborview. Harborview is also the principal clinical site for the University of Washington
University of Washington
University of Washington is a public research university, founded in 1861 in Seattle, Washington, United States. The UW is the largest university in the Northwest and the oldest public university on the West Coast. The university has three campuses, with its largest campus in the University...
's center for AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
research. The Madison Clinic, Harborview's outpatient facility, is the largest single provider of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
care in King County.
History
The hospital was founded in 1877 as King County Hospital, a six-bed welfare hospitalHospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in a two-story south Seattle building. By 1906, it had moved into a new building in Georgetown
Georgetown, Seattle, Washington
Georgetown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is bounded on the north by the mainlines of the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, beyond which is the Industrial District; on the west by the Duwamish River, across which is South Park; on the east by Interstate 5, beyond which is...
, with room for 225 patients. Another move occurred in 1931, when the center wing of the present hospital on First Hill was completed, and the hospital's name was changed to Harborview.
Harborview's Center for Sexual Assault and Traumatic Stress
Post-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
was established in 1973.